Golden Crescent

The "Golden Crescent" is the name given to Asia?s principal area of illicit opium production, located at the crossroads of Central, South, and Western Asia. This space overlaps three nations, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, whose mountainous peripheries define the crescent. In 1991, Afghanistan became the world?s primary opium producer, with a yield of 1,782 metric tons (U.S. State Department estimates), surpassing Burma (Myanmar), formerly the world leader in opium production. The Golden Crescent has a much longer history of opium production than does Southeast Asia?s Golden Triangle, even thought the Golden Crescent emerged as a modern-day opium-producing entity only in the 1970s, after the Golden Triangle did so in the 1950s.

Related Topics:
Illicit - Opium - Asia - Afghanistan - Iran - Pakistan - Burma - Myanmar - History - Golden Triangle

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